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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: object · lean · ruler · roll · pop · chest · rule · mug

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. lean — thin
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. pop — soda
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. object — to protest
  7. pop — to visit
  8. chest — a box
  9. lean — to bend
  10. mug — a cup
  11. rule — government
  12. mug — to rob
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. chest — of your body
  15. roll — a list
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. rule — a law
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pop — music
  20. object — a thing
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. mug — a face
  24. roll — a cake

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com